The key facts

  • Lavrov: ISIS militants are present in Afghan border areas adjacent to Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, with training camps
  • Militants infiltrating under the guise of refugees and tourists, smuggling of weapons and drugs through the region into Russia
  • Moscow considers engagement with the Taliban government necessary and supports Afghanistan's integration into the regional economy

Statement at the Moscow conference

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday that the branch of the terrorist group ISIS (banned in Russia) seeks to undermine the Taliban government in Kabul and use Afghanistan as a base to expand 'terrorist activity' into Central Asia and Russia. The remarks were made at a joint CSTO, CIS and SCO conference on security in Central Asia and Afghanistan, held in Moscow.

Militant presence near the borders

According to Lavrov, 'terrorist and extremist groups' maintain a significant presence in border areas of Afghanistan adjacent to Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, including training camps and strongholds. He claimed that militants are trying to infiltrate Central Asian countries, sometimes posing as refugees or tourists, and warned of attempts to smuggle weapons and drugs from Afghanistan through the region into Russia.

Call for coordination and engagement with the Taliban

Lavrov called on Russia and its Central Asian partners to strengthen a coordinated response to security threats, including through regional organizations and cooperation with the Taliban authorities. According to him, Moscow considers engagement with the Taliban government necessary and supports Afghanistan's integration into regional economic processes, as well as economic and humanitarian assistance to the country. 'We proceed from the fact that the government — the Taliban movement — is a reality that must be reckoned with,' Anadolu quoted him as saying. He added that a growing number of countries around the world are demonstrating such understanding.

Criticism of NATO and the idea of a Eurasian security architecture

Lavrov also criticized NATO's expanding role in security matters, saying the alliance intends to impose its will far beyond its area of responsibility. 'NATO is not about Eurasia,' he said, arguing that the continent needs a security architecture developed by its own countries. He reiterated Russia's support for the Greater Eurasian Partnership and a new continental security architecture involving the countries and regional organizations of Eurasia.